Defending champ Reid Carruthers makes early exit from PointsBet Invitational – Winnipeg

Another Manitoba-based team was upset at the third annual PointsBet Invitational on Thursday night.

Two-time defending champ Team Reid Carruthers was eliminated after losing a draw to the button in their very first game of the single-knockout bonspiel.

The sixth-seeded Carruthers foursome was beaten by 11th seed Felix Asselin 5-4 in the Sweep 16 round.

With the game tied, Carruthers gave up two points in the ninth end to trail by a pair coming home in the 10th. After Asselin missed a double-takeout for the win in the final end, Carruthers made a raise-takeout to score a deuce to leave it tied after 10 ends of play.

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They don’t play extra ends at this event as the winner is decided by a draw to the button. Carruthers went first and slid past the button into the four-foot. Asselin proceeded to place his throw right on the button to end Carruthers’ hopes of winning a third straight PointsBet title.

Fourth seed Matt Dunstone was knocked out with a loss in their opening game on Wednesday. And in the women’s draw, third seed and four-time national champ Kerri Einarson was upset by 14th seed Allyson MacNutt earlier on Thursday.

“It’s definitely tough,” Einarson said. “They played really well. They made a lot of great draws and we missed quite a few opportunities.

“We can’t take anything away from them. They played really well and we didn’t.”

Four Manitoba rinks qualified for the quarterfinals or the Elite 8. Jordon McDonald is the last Manitoba team standing in the men’s draw and the 13th seeds are up against Kevin Koe on Friday.

Fourth seed Kaitlyn Lawes will take on fifth seed Selena Sturmay. Second seed Chelsea Carey, with the old Team Jennifer Jones, is pitted against 10th seed Kayla Skrlik. And sixth seed Kate Cameron will meet MacNutt for a spot in the final four.

-With files from Canadian Press

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